MARYLAND JOINS 13 STATES, GUAM IN HEALTH ALLIANCE TO COUNTER RFK JR: In a clear rebuke of recent federal health policy, 15 Democratic governors – including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore – announced Wednesday that they have formed a Governors Public Health Alliance that breaks with guidance from the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It’s the largest move by states to diverge from recent policy decisions under Kennedy that have alarmed medical and public health experts, from federal funding cuts for health services to changes to vaccine guidance. Anna Claire Vollers/Maryland Matters.

BROWN ISSUES POLICE DO’S & DON’Ts WHEN WORKING WITH FEDERAL AGENTS: Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown issued guidance to local police departments Wednesday reminding them that they are still bound by state law when working with federal agencies, and are limited in what they can do in such partnerships. The 11-page document lists what local police “must do, may do and must not do” in a range of interactions with federal authorities, from simple backup to formal joint task force agreements. William Ford/Maryland Matters.

MOORE LEADS HOGAN IN EARLY SPECULATIVE POLLING: Right now, interest in Maryland’s 2026 gubernatorial race focuses on two men, one of whom may not even be a candidate: Gov. Wes Moore and former Gov. Larry Hogan. Both men have thrown fuel on the speculative fire. In a survey of more than 900 registered voters, 45% said they would vote for Moore, while 37% said they would vote for Hogan. Another 14% said they were undecided. The poll has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’s SHUTDOWN LAYOFFS: A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, blocking the Trump administration from moving forward with the thousands of layoffs it initiated after the government shutdown began Oct. 1, as well as any others that officials might want to carry out. Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters.

DEL ATTERBEARY THROWS HAT IN RING FOR HOWARD EXECUTIVE: To a cheering crowd of over 300 people, Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, formally announced Wednesday night that she wants to run the government in Howard County where she grew up. She promised to continue her fight for school funding, affordable housing, police reform and gun control. Len Lazarick/MarylandReporter.com.

• Atterbeary pointed to her work on police accountability reform, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and gun violence prevention, in particular. Bryan P. Sears, Christine Condon and Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.

B’MORE COUNCILMAN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO TAKE REP. MFUME’s SEAT: Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway launched a challenge to longtime U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume on a corner known as the heart of the city’s opioid crisis and the focal point of the uprising in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray. The Democrat, the council’s public safety chair, held his event outside the Penn North public transit station. In recent months, the site has seen a spate of mass overdoses. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.

MARYLANDERS DISILLUSIONED BY ECONOMY POLL FINDS: A near majority of Maryland residents are feeling disillusioned with the direction of the state, in particular the cost of living, a statewide poll shows. About 84% of Marylanders said they worry sometimes or every day about money, a statistic pollster Steve Raabe said was the worst he’s seen from Marylanders in the last 20 years. The pessimistic turn coincides with President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, an administration Marylanders regard poorly, according to the poll. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Banner.

TARIFFS HIT PERRYVILLE WATER FACILITY UPGRADE: The tariffs imposed on imports coming into the United States have affected the Town of Perryville’s project to upgrade its water treatment facility, according to Commissioner Robert Taylor. The town has been working on increasing its production capabilities to meet demands from Great Wolf Lodge and new residential and commercial development.Taylor said that the $48,000 tariff will also come from ARPA funds but it means that the contingency fund is now gone. Jane Bellmyer/The Cecil Whig.

CITY COLLEGE-UB MERGER TALK ‘BLINDSIDES’ FACULTY: Baltimore City Community College faculty were “blindsided” by a plan to consolidate their employer with the University of Baltimore, according to Laura Pope, the faculty union chair. Pope confronted BCCC board Chair Kurt Schmoke, who is also president of the University of Baltimore and the architect of the potential merger, at Wednesday’s meeting of the community college board. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.

MORGAN GETS $63M GIFT FROM MacKENZIE SCOTT; ITS LARGEST DONATION YET: Morgan State University announced on Wednesday it received the largest donation in its 158-year history: $63 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The gift is unrestricted, meaning the historically Black university in Northeast Baltimore can spend the money on whatever it needs. Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.

McDANIEL COLLEGE GETS $15M IN LARGEST DONATION TO SCHOOL: McDaniel College in Westminster announced a gift amounting to nearly $15 million from the late Jonas Eshelman, a Western Maryland College alumnus. The school was renamed to McDaniel College in 2002. The bequest is the largest in the school’s history. Gabriella Fine/The Baltimore Sun.

SHRINKING FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDS SQUEEZE MARYLAND UNIVERSITIES: Maryland University scientists are being pushed into uncharted territory as historic funding shifts reshape the academic landscape, with federal research dollars shrinking and even being clawed back. “All of us here in Maryland had become extremely dependent on federal funding and extremely good at getting it,” said Patrick O’Shea, of the University System of Maryland. “Our failure was a lack of diversity in funding.” Karl Hille/The Baltimore Sun.

FORMER CADETS ACCUSE NATIONAL GUARD ACADEMY OF BRUTALITY: One still has burn scars on his palms, earned during hours of push-ups on burning hot pavement. One said he was attacked, beaten with a homemade blackjack while he slept. One said he developed post-traumatic stress disorder. These teens who enrolled at the Maryland National Guard Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in previous years have a lot to say about their experience as cadets in the program — not much of it good. Kate Cimini/The Baltimore Sun.

PLANK CONSIDERS BUILDING DATA CENTERS IN MARYLAND: It took just one signature from Gov. Wes Moore last year to accelerate data center development in Maryland. Now, developer Scott Plank’s War Horse Cities firm, which already builds data centers in Virginia, is reportedly considering similar projects in Maryland. Bria Overs/The Baltimore Banner.

The post State Roundup: Maryland Joins 13 States, Guam In Public Health Alliance; Atty Gen Issues Directives For Police In Working With Federal Agencies; Moore Leads Hogan In Speculative Poll appeared first on citybiz.

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